A low-pressure system is set to hit Britain on Monday with lashing 50mph winds and an inch of rain in some parts.

“But some showers will already be in the south-west and will kind of get their act together and form into more of a band of rain pushing into south Wales by lunchtime and into south-east England by the afternoon and the Midlands.

“To the south of the rain it will be brighter but with some showers, there will also be a few showers ahead of the band of wet weather.

“However much of northern England and south-west Scotland will be dry, fine and sunny.

“There will still be some showery rain across the north-east with snow on the hills. It will be cold here and elsewhere we are only looking at seven or eight or nine degrees. Below average for the end of March.”

As the first band of rain clears away during the early hours of Friday, another area of horrifying wet weather will encompass the south of the country during the morning.

Mr Deakin continued: “The band of showery rain will continue to track northwards and the wet weather in the north-east peps up that will bring potentially more snow on Thursday night with gusty winds too and it could turn icy for Friday morning.

“Another band of rain will spiral in across the far south for Good Friday, it could be quite a soggy day across the far south, there will be some showery rain elsewhere, but again much of western Scotland is looking like a fine day on Good Friday.

“But again wherever you are temperatures will be disappointing, single digits and add on the rain and a brisk chilly wind from the North Sea, it really will feel quite raw on some of the east coasts.

Met Office

Another area of horrifying wet weather will encompass the south on Friday

“Low pressure will dominate for the start of the Easter weekend, it will bring bands of rain and brisk winds too, this will continue on and off into Saturday, but there are signs of that system clearing away for Easter Day.

“The next weather system will not have arrived yet so there could be a window on Easter Day although it will potentially be cold and frosty to start with on Sunday.

“There will be some sunshine around through the long weekend but overall rain is never too far away.”